Plan B

So, I haven't heard any official news yet about my most recent job interview. However, signs indicate that I'm probably not getting this job. Therefore, I'm putting renewed thought and energy into developing a Plan B.

Plan B is a long shot. It involves doing everything that I'm doing now, but better. Instead of writing occasionally, I will write daily, and submit at least one work of fiction and non-fiction per month. Instead of waiting for John A. Logan College to respond to my requests to submit more class proposals, I will organize and promote my own classes at another local venue, possibly in cooperation with other people who want to teach professionally in a non-traditional setting. Instead of waiting for people to invite me to give talks and lead workshops, I will promote myself as a public speaker and workshop leader.

This certainly isn't the "standard" or "traditional" approach to securing a full-time income. But the standard approach really hasn't worked for me. It's time for me to develop a plan that plays to my strengths. It's time for me to let go of the belief that earning money and pursuing my life's ambitions are two separate things. It's time for me to start believing that I can earn a living doing the work that I actually want to do, and that I have the skill and the passion to do, rather than limping along at an unpleasant minimum wage job in order to earn someone else a profit.

If you have any other suggestions, I'm open to them. I'm very poor right now, so I'd be willing to work a part-time job unrelated to my writing/teaching/speaking if I could find one. Here are my limitations and strengths:

LIMITATIONS

* I'm currently unable to do heavy lifting or manual labor for an extended period of time. I won't be able to finish rebuilding my core strength until I have more food money.
* No Wal-Mart and no McDonald's. First of all, I doubt they'd have me, given my hair/beard/beliefs. Second of all, I have vowed not to support either of them, and I would rather go hungry than go back on this vow.
* No Multi-Level Marketing or similar direct sales schemes. Period.
* I currently have no transportation and have never had a license. I intend to change both of these facts, but that will obviously require time and money.

STRENGTHS

* I have many miscellaneous computer skills, mostly focused around web design. Not enough to secure a full-time web development job, apparently, but enough to meet most people's needs.
* I have the communication skills and patience required to tutor and/or teach. I have taught professionally before and enjoy doing so.
* According to my grade school IQ test, my IQ is around 145. I've scored between 135 and 145 on shorter IQ tests I've taken as an adult. In other words, I'm a quick learner, and complex intellectual activity is second nature to me. In fact, I love doing challenging intellectual work to ensure that my mental acuity doesn't diminish over time.
* I can walk anywhere in Carbondale city limits and can take Jackson County Mass Transit to anywhere in the county.

Ideally, I'm looking for work related to writing, teaching, or public speaking. But I need the money, so I'll do any work that plays to my strengths and is not ruled out by my limitations. Unless I get any impressive suggestions from friends, though, my current plan is to see if I can get any more hours of part-time computer work and earn the rest of my income by increasing my writing, teaching, and public speaking.

Yes, I know this is a long shot. But as the saying goes, crisis is opportunity. My difficulty finding traditional employment has given me the opportunity to embrace my passion for my own creative approach. I'm confident that if I can make enough in the short-term to survive, I can build my career over time and eventually make enough to live quite comfortably.

If I'm wrong... well, then I'll have to develop a Plan C. In the meantime, I'm going with Plan B. Thanks for listening, and as always, let me know if you have any questions, thoughts, suggestions, or other random comments to share.